Sapphire Lilies
by keylee
Summary: Some of the gaang fall deathly ill and only Zuko & Katara can find the cure. Problem? It can only be found in the Fire Nation, and even worse: they have to work together to get it. Pre-TBR! BFF-Zutara
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, this story is already written and completely published on ASN, it's about time I put it here! Read & review please! I own nothing!**

**From the Past…**

Katara sat against the wall of the temple, staring into the fire. It had been hours since Zuko and Aang had left for their daily firebending training; not that she cared, since Aang seemed to be doing that a lot lately. It was all he ever talked about; firebending, firebending, firebending! And lately, Katara was becoming very annoyed with it. Aang never once offered to go practice waterbending with her, and yet he usually spent over six hours a day on firebending alone. Zuko had completely replaced her as Aang's primary teacher, and she wasn't too happy about that either.

Of course, nobody else seemed bothered by it; Toph had another earthbender to practice with, and Sokka spent his days thinking of new plans for the next invasion of the Fire Nation. Except for Teo and The Duke- with whom she didn't have much in common with in the first place- Katara was completely on her own. She had carefully observed Aang's first couple of sessions- just to be sure Zuko wasn't going to try and hurt him- but after a few days, she found herself growing bored of watching them shoot fire all over the place and stopped going to watch them.

"Hey Katara," Haru greeted her as he entered the room.

Katara looked up and gasped. "Haru! What happened?"

His eye was badly bruised, and his right ankle was swollen like a baby turtle-duck's shell.

He gave her a small smile; he was obviously embarrassed. "Uh…Toph."

Katara nodded knowingly. He didn't need to say anymore. Katara actually found it pretty funny how he got beat up by a blind twelve year old, but felt sorry for him at the same time. She had a feeling that his pride was more bruised than his eye.

Haru sat down next to the fire just as Toph entered the room. She definitely looked proud of herself.

"Those were very impressive skills," Haru applauded her. As he moved closer to the fire, Katara gasped as she saw his face in the light.

"That's a pretty bad bruise, Haru…let me see if I can heal it…" She reached for her water, but Haru motioned for her to stop.

"I'm fine," he tried to convince her, but she shook her head.

"No way, you look like Zuko. And trust me, one's bad enough," she joked. She laughed at her humor while the rest of the group forced themselves to laugh along with her.

"Uh Katara?" Everyone looked at Toph, and she pointed to the doorway behind Katara. She immediately stopped laughing and glared at Zuko, who had apparently just gotten back from his practice with Aang.

"How was training?" she asked; her voice as cold as ice.

Zuko glared right back at her. "It was _great_. He's a good _firebender_."

Katara scoffed. "Well Aang's already a good _waterbender_ you know..."

Just before Zuko could fight back with an angry retort, Aang entered the hall and waved at his friends. Katara immediately turned away, intent on giving Aang the cold shoulder because of how much he had been ignoring her lately.

Unfortunately, Aang was oblivious to her angry mood and came to sit right next to her.

"Hey Katara, I have to show you this awesome trick Zuko taught me today…"

"That's great Aang," she interrupted. "Why don't you show Haru instead? I'm sure he'd be interested."

She watched out of the corner of her eye as Aang showed the rest of the group his new "trick."

As much as she hated to admit it: he was getting to be very good at firebending. And it was probably thanks to Zuko…

_No! Aang's just naturally talented. Zuko has nothing to do with Aang's progress…_

Somehow, in the back of her mind, she knew that wasn't true.

"He also showed me the basic technique for creating a double fire whip…"

Katara froze. Here was her opportunity to get back at Zuko…

"Oh," she started rather loudly, "You mean the same double fire whip he used to attack us? You know, in Ba Sing Se with his sister?"

Everyone was silent. Katara smiled smugly, knowing she had finally managed to prove that this "new Zuko" was still the same Prince Zuko that had hurt them so much in the past. Sokka was staring at Katara in shock, almost like he couldn't believe that she'd say such an awful thing about their new "friend."

And even Haru began inching away from Zuko- who was looking extremely uncomfortable- as though he feared what the firebender could possibly do to him.

"Things are different now," Aang whispered, breaking the awkward silence.

Katara looked at her friend in horror. Did he actually just say that? Did he forget that he nearly died, partly thanks to Zuko? Zuko, the one he just defended? She couldn't believe her ears.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, Sokka spoke up as well.

"Yeah Katara, why can't you just move on? It's been days, and Zuko hasn't…"

Katara stopped listening. Why was everyone taking _Zuko's _side? As she tried to organize her jumbled thoughts, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye…

"Aang, is that a burn?" She leaned in for a better look, but he yanked his arm away.

"It's nothing…"

Katara grabbed his arm firmly and examined the injury. It definitely was a burn. A _bad _burn. She immediately looked at Zuko; his expression was a dead giveaway.

"You _burned_ Aang?!" she screamed as she leapt to her feet. There was no way she could let Zuko get away with that…

"It was an accident! Burns happen in firebending!" Zuko tried to defend himself, but he didn't stand much of a chance against Katara's fury.

"Katara, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt…" Aang tried to break up the fight, but Katara was hysterical now.

"Only if you're not careful!" She looked at Zuko straight in the eye.

"That's probably how you got that scar," she whispered; her voice full of hatred. She almost didn't want to say that; she knew it was undeniably cruel, but Zuko _had _burned Aang and she wouldn't let him get away too easily. In fact, he was lucky that she didn't do anything worse to him…

Everyone seemed to have frozen in time. Sokka looked mortified at what she had said, and Toph and Aang looked outright disappointed; ashamed, even. She didn't make eye contact with anyone- especially not Zuko- and stood there, feeling more terrible with every passing second of the dreaded silence. She half expected Zuko to attack her for what she said, but he remained still and unmoving.

Finally, Katara couldn't take it anymore, and she ran to her room, leaving behind her troubles and problems with Zuko.

Katara couldn't sleep that night. It was almost as though she was stuck in a never-ending nightmare; the worst part was: Zuko seemed to be in every one.

"_If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?"_

"_No, Aang! Don't do this"!_

"_Don't worry Katara, it'll be okay."_

"No…" Katara moaned in her sleep.

"_Then let's get out of here. _Zuko_ will leave Kyoshi to follow us. I know it feels wrong to run, but I think it's the only way..."_

"_Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother."_

"_Go jump in the river!"_

"_Try to understand, I need to capture to restore something I've lost. My honor. Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost…"_

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to wake up…

"_What happened? Where's Zuko?"_

"_He took Aang. He took him right out from under me..."_

"_I thought you had changed!"_

"_I have changed."_

_And then, there was a flash of blue…_

"NO!" Katara finally jolted awake; the awful dreams were gone. Unfortunately, Zuko- the _enemy_- wasn't just in her nightmares…he was in this very temple…and nobody seemed the slightest bit worried…

"_Dad's going to kill you. Really, he is."_

"_Ha-ha Azula. Nice try."  
_

"_Fine, don't believe me, but I heard everything. Grandfather said dad's punishment should fit his crime. 'You must know the pain of losing a first born son, by sacrificing your own!'"_

_  
"Liar!"_

Zuko shifted in his bed; unable to escape these nightmares…

"_Please father, I only had the Fire Nation's best interests at heart! I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!"_

"_You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher…"_

Zuko began perspiring in his sleep. He knew what came next…

"_So, how'd you get that scar?"_

"_It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."_

_  
"__Maybe you could be free of it."_

"_I have healing abilities."_

"_It's a scar, it can't be healed…"_

He kept fighting to wake up, but he was trapped…

"_For so long, all I wanted was you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted but really, I was just trying to please you...you, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn__. __My father, who challenged me; a 13-year-old boy to an Agni Kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?"_

"_It was to teach you respect."_

"_It was cruel. And it was wrong…"_

"_You may have everyone else here buying your 'transformation.' But you and I both know that you've struggled to do the right thing in the past…"_

"_Burns happen in firebending!"_

"_Only if you're not careful! That's probably how you got that scar…"_

Zuko instantly woke up and fell off his bed, landing on the hard, cold ground with a thud. He ran over to the fountain and held up a small flame. Yes, his scar was still there. Nothing Katara said would ever change that. She could mock him and abuse him all she wanted; however he refused to let himself feel ashamed of his mark.

Feeling a little better, Zuko went back to bed and slipped into a quieter, less-turbulent sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, before the sun had even risen, Katara heard someone moaning from another room

**Thanks for the reviews guys! Hope you like this chapter, and remember, **_**I wrote this before The Boiling Rock even came out, so some things may be inaccurate now.**_** Enjoy!**

The next morning, before the sun had even risen, Katara heard someone moaning from another room. She couldn't quite make out who it was, it sounded horrible, though. She crept her way out the door of her room and into the hall. It was almost pitch black in the temple, but Katara kept moving forward. Ten steps out of her room, she immediately knew where the moaning was coming from.

"Teo?" Katara carefully stepped into the younger boy's room and tried to adjust her eyes to the darkness.

He didn't even acknowledge her presence; Katara wondered if the boy was still asleep. She gave him a gentle nudge, but immediately jumped back in panic. His body was covered in sweat and his skin felt as though it were on fire.

"Teo!" She immediately summoned the water from a nearby fountain and tried to bring the boy's temperature down. After several minutes, Katara gave up; even her healing abilities couldn't help him. The first morning light crept through the doorway, allowing her to take in the whole situation.

Teo's face was red, probably because of his intense fever. However, he was sicker than Katara had ever seen a person before. He couldn't even open his eyes, and even though his body was burning up, he was shivering as though he were surrounded by ice.

Katara knew she couldn't just leave him like that; she needed help. She ran out to the main hall, but it was empty except for Toph, who was sitting alone, facing the fire.

"Toph! Where is everyone? There's something wrong with Teo."

"You mean Teo's sick too?" a voice from behind her asked.

Katara turned around, seeing Haru and The Duke coming out of Sokka's room. Katara inhaled sharply. _Not Sokka…_

She quickly made her way to his room…Sokka looked even worse than Teo. Katara urgently tried to heal him, but again, even she couldn't help him. Haru, The Duke, and Toph stood behind her, unsure of what to do or say. Sokka was shivering, too; Katara knew this wasn't just an everyday illness that would cure itself. They needed immediate help. But they were miles from any kind of civilization; let alone any non-Fire Nation place.

She fought back the tears as she faced the group. As she organized her thoughts, she noticed that there was something very wrong…

"Where's Aang?" She choked on her words as a wave of fear crashed over her.

Immediately, everyone looked away. The tears blinded her, but she managed to find her way to Aang's room. Zuko stood off to the side, watching as Katara rushed to her friend's side. He was barely breathing; for a second, Katara wondered if he was even alive…

"Aang! Wake up…you're not sick…you can't be…just get up…" Katara broke down into uncontrollable sobs. Aang looked awful; it was the worst she had ever seen him. His eyes were shut, but his mouth was open; almost like he was smiling. She didn't even care if Zuko saw her crying; she barely noticed he was there anyways.

Again, she tried to heal him, but nothing seemed to help.

"You can't heal him," Zuko finally spoke in a calm voice, as though the fight last night had never happened.

Katara whirled around and glared at him through her tears; however, she was unable to respond.

"It's chi," Zuko started again slowly. "It's an illness…that attacks their overall flow of chi."

Katara stared at him in disbelief. "And how do you know this? Why should I even believe that?"

"Someone told me…"

"Who?!" Katara was beginning to panic, there was no time for this…

"I…" As much as Zuko didn't want to tell her, they needed to heal them; and fast. "Ty Lee."

Katara couldn't believe it. Although Ty Lee was his sister's 'friend,' it never really occurred to her that she and Zuko actually knew each other.

"I've seen cases of this before…and I know a cure for it," Zuko added quickly. "But we won't find it here…"

Katara looked at him skeptically. "Give me one good reason to believe you…"

"He's telling the truth," Toph came into the room and stood in the doorway. "He's not lying, Katara."

Toph looked angrily at her; probably still mad about what Katara had said the night before.

Katara looked back to Zuko, carefully avoiding eye contact. "What is it then? Where is it?"

She winced as Aang shivered violently, but tried to keep her mind focused on finding the cure.

"It's a plant…but the only place we can get it is on an island…in the Fire Nation."

"Oh, of course…how convenient."

As much as she wanted to refuse, one glance at Aang convinced her otherwise.

"I can't go alone," Zuko rushed. "I don't know how to fly the bison…"

Katara moaned inwardly. Of course, Toph and Haru couldn't fly Appa on their own either, leaving her as the only eligible person to go. There were a million things she'd rather do than go find this plant with _Zuko_, but she had no other choice.

"Fine. I'll go."

Zuko nodded seriously and left to grab his belongings.

Katara placed her hand on Aang's moist shoulder. "Aang, I know Zuko and I have our issues, but I'm going to find the cure. You, Sokka, and Teo will be okay. I promise."

After what seemed like a lifetime, Katara turned and faced the others. "Toph, you and Haru are in charge. Take care of the others while we're gone."

She turned to Aang one last time and said her silent goodbye.

**Comments, as always, are loved and appreciated. Next chapter is one of my favorites, so stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the comments! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a lot more interesting…but remember that it was written before TBR ;)**

_Chapter Three Return to Ember Island_

"Will it be easy to find?" Katara asked Zuko from the front of the saddle, trying to forget their conversation last night.

"Huh?" Zuko sat up and looked at Katara.

"I asked if it would be easy to find!" she snapped at him.

"Well…" Zuko looked away, debating whether or not he should lie to her. "Maybe."

Katara glared at him. "Maybe? What do you mean, maybe?"

"That's it. Maybe. If only this bison would hurry up…"

"First of all, 'this bison' has a name. Appa. Ah-puh. And he's going as fast as he can."

Zuko groaned and looked down at the water. When he left home on the day of the eclipse, he hadn't really planned on returning to the Fire Nation until the next, and hopefully final, invasion. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of any other places to find the plant they needed…

"There it is," he said, pointing at the large island in the distance. Even though it was still far away, Zuko recognized it instantly.

Katara stood up. "I need you to take Appa's reins."

Zuko panicked. "What?"

"I need to make us a cloud covering, and you need to keep Appa steady so we don't get spotted."

Zuko unwillingly got up and trudged to the front and tried to do what Katara told him to. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Katara surrounded them with a cloud. He could barely make out the island through the covering, but somehow, he felt more at ease, knowing nobody would be able to see them.

"Okay," Katara took the reins as he carefully crawled to the back of the saddle; slightly nervous of the fact that Katara could easily push him off at any time.

"Go to the back side of the island. There's a secret cove on the beach where we can stay."

Katara carefully guided Appa- as well as keeping the cloud surrounding them steady- and they finally landed. The ocean mist splashed them with surprising force.

Katara looked around, but couldn't locate the cove. "Where is it?" she yelled over the crashing waves.

"It's under the beach!"

"Under the beach?" Katara asked in disbelief. Zuko nodded, so she bended a path through the water and lead Appa through the funnel.

Indeed there was a secret cove under the island's north beach. There wasn't anything in there as far as Katara could see, except for sand, but at least it was big enough to hold Appa.

As soon as Appa was completely inside the cove, she sealed the entrance and looked at Zuko. He was trying to start a small campfire from dried ocean debris.

"How did you know about this place?" Katara finally managed to ask.

Zuko didn't look up. "I…used to come here."

"Not the island, this place. You couldn't possibly have gotten here by swimming…"

"A lot of things are possible when you're trying to get away from Azula," Zuko muttered under his breath.

"So, where are we going to find these plants?" Katara asked, trying to change the subject.

Zuko stiffened at the idea. "Oh…well uh…why don't we wait until tomorrow?"

"I didn't ask when, I asked where are we going to find them?" Katara snapped.

Zuko's eyes widened in the firelight. "Well…we have to go to the main side of the island…"

Katara reached in her bag and pulled out her old Fire Nation clothes. "Well, we shouldn't have a problem, then."

"Uh, sure…" Zuko bit his lip, remembering his last visit to Ember Island. He doubted he could get by unnoticed after that incident…

**xXxXxXxXx**

"Okay, just follow me." Zuko crept past an older looking home and looked towards the island's main beach. There were several people on the sand, but nobody noticed Katara and Zuko hiding behind a large pillar.

"The place is up there," he pointed to a shabby-looking bungalow on the hill, overlooking the sand.

Katara looked up. "That's it? It's someone's home!"

"Not exactly…there shouldn't be anyone here. They left at least a month ago."

"How do I know if this is all a trap?" Katara asked suspiciously.

"It's not!"

Katara rolled her eyes, but continued forward; reminding herself that she was doing this for Aang. She would put up with Zuko for Aang...oh, and Sokka and Teo, too.

Even with Fire Nation clothes on, she didn't feel as safe as she did before the first invasion. Before, the Fire Nation hardly knew who she was; now, it was like she was a wanted criminal.

"Here," Zuko whispered as he climbed up to the balcony. He tentatively started to offer his hand to help Katara up, but she promptly ignored it and climbed up by herself.

"I thought you said we were looking for a plant."

"We are," Zuko hissed angrily as he tried to pry open the door. "It doesn't actually grow here."

"So it's not here?"

Zuko pulled out his swords and slashed open the door. "It's here. It's hidden, though."

They quietly walked into the main room; it was all too familiar for Zuko…

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"They're in a black box."

However, Zuko couldn't remember what it really looked like. It had been years since he had actually seen it…

_"Mom? What's in there?" Zuko asked, pointing to a black leather box that had the Fire Nation's symbol printed in gold._

Ursa's eyes widened as she looked up. "Zuko, don't touch that. It's not yours."

"But what's in it?"

Ursa sighed. "Sapphire lilies."

"That's it? Why would Li and Lo keep some flowers in a fancy box? What's the big deal?"

Ty Lee, who had been playing with- or rather jabbing- her dolls in the corner, looked up. "Sapphire lilies save you from dying if you get sick and your chi gets really messed up."

Zuko snorted. "You can't be serious…"

"She's right," Ursa stated calmly.

"But how to they stay alive in there? Don't they need to be planted?"

"These are special lilies Zuko; most of these flowers are extinct, and they don't wither away like other flowers until they're used to treat someone's sickness. They give life."

Behind them, Azula laughed.

"Mom, you don't need to lie to Zuko," she looked at Zuko. "You can't possibly believe in 'magic lilies' can you?"

Ursa frowned upon her daughter. "Actually Azula, I wasn't lying to him…"

Azula wasn't listening anymore; instead, she had stolen one of Ty Lee's dolls and was threatening to burn it.

Ursa immediately got up and disciplined her daughter; leaving Zuko alone to wonder about the mysterious lilies…

"Is this it?" Katara's voice brought Zuko back to reality. She was holding up a small black box, the same one Zuko saw all those years ago…

Zuko nodded, and took the box from her. It had the strangest patterns on it, and there wasn't a lock on it.

"It can't be opened by a key," Katara commented. "How do we open it?"

"Firebending," Zuko whispered.

"Don't be ridiculous, that will just burn them; if there are plants in there anyways," she looked at Zuko skeptically. "What is really in there?"

Zuko pressed his hand on the Fire Nation symbol and before Katara could stop him, he lightly released a small flame.

"Sapphire lilies," he said as the box unlocked.

**How was it? I really should mention that ****"Sapphire Lilies" are different than the lilies from "The Puppetmaster" (just clearing that up for you). I hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter will be pretty interesting, so stay tuned! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Woohoo chapter four!! Okay, I won't be able to update until I get back from vacation (September 1), just to let you know...enjoy! ;)**

"Welcome back, Prince Zuko," two voices came from behind them just as Zuko began to pry open the box.

They both whirled around; even though they hadn't managed to see what was inside yet…

Zuko gasped and got into his fighting stance, but Katara didn't seem to understand what the big deal was. Sure, Zuko did say that the place was vacated, but even if that was a lie, the two women surely wouldn't stand a chance against two master benders…

"Back to Ember Island so soon Prince Zuko?" Li asked.

"Why didn't Azula accompany you?" Lo glanced at Katara questioningly.

Katara looked at Zuko, who was ready to attack.

"Grab the box," Zuko whispered to Katara. "I'll hold them back."

Katara stared at him. Surely he wouldn't think of attacking these defenseless old ladies?

Li and Lo immediately sensed her hesitation and let out a low whistle.

Before Katara had time to react, six Fire Nation soldiers jumped into the room; surrounding her and Zuko.

"You tricked me!" Katara screamed at Zuko. "This _was_ a trap!"

Zuko- too busy to listen to Katara's furious accusations- tried to keep the soldiers back, but they were gaining on him.

"Just grab the box and get out of here!" he yelled, creating a huge fire shield between the soldiers and them.

Katara snatched the box and began running for her life.

"Don't let her get away!" Lo bellowed. Two soldiers chased after Katara, while the other four remained behind to take down the traitorous prince.

Katara held the box tightly; it was their only hope for curing Aang, Sokka and Teo. After several minutes of full-out sprinting, she began to tire. Even her counterattacks wouldn't hold the soldiers back. She needed to find a place to hide; she wouldn't make it to Appa unless she had time to rest and regroup. She kept running- the soldiers close behind shooting fire at her- until she reached an abandoned house. She dropped the box and fought the two soldiers with everything she had; running into the house after managing to freeze them up to their shoulders.

The home had an eerie feel to it, but Katara figured it was better than nothing and kept going until she found a room to hide for a little while. The box- to her surprise- still remained slightly ajar; she wouldn't need a firebender to open it again. She let out a deep breath and opened it completely. It was an amazing sight: four, stunningly blue lilies that looked as though they had just bloomed.

She held one tenderly, making sure she wouldn't damage it in any way. If Zuko was right, these flowers would be able to cure her friends...

Katara inhaled sharply. _Zuko…_

No doubt he had been "captured." Or, if it was a trap, it had failed. Katara had gotten away.

She set the box down and walked around the room. It was a very peculiar place; there wasn't anything in the room except for a few old piles of paper and part of a broken chandelier. As Katara stepped back, she trampled on an interesting piece of paper. Curious, she picked it up and turned it over…

It looked like a picture of Zuko and his family. Azula was just a baby, and Zuko couldn't have been more than two or three years old. Katara noticed that Ozai looked much more different than she had imagined him; perhaps because the portrait was so outdated? She figured the woman must have been Zuko's mom.

"He's so cute," she whispered as she looked at younger Zuko. Her hand immediately flew to her mouth. She couldn't believe that she just said that…sure, he was a cute little toddler; but still, it was Zuko she was talking about…

"The girl's in here!" she heard a soldier shout from the entrance to the house.

Katara immediately shoved the paper in her pocket and ran for the window. Just before she reached the opening, a flaming ball of fire slammed into the wall no more than a foot away from her. She didn't bother turning around and fighting; she knew there were more than just two of them this time. Instead, Katara leaped out the window.

She hit the ground and instantly began running for the secret cove under the beach. Now if she could just get to Appa…

Fire flew at her from several directions, but she wasn't going to waste her energy fighting them off. If she put everything she had into getting to Appa safely, she may have a chance of escaping.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, she saw the abandoned beach. She ran and jumped off a giant boulder, landing carefully in the soft sand. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that some of the soldiers were tiring; she had just enough room to get to the cove safely.

Katara bended an air bubble around her body- still holding on tightly to the box- and jumped beneath the surface and swam to the cove. She saw flashes of orange fly at her above the water, but they couldn't reach her now.

"Appa!" Katara ran over and jumped into the saddle. "Quickly Appa, we have to get out of here."

She bended a giant funnel through the exit of the cove and pointed Appa through it. It was a bumpy ride through the waves, but they finally broke through the surface.

They were met by barrages of fire; Katara noticed at least six soldiers down on the beach; firing away at her and Appa. Just before Katara thought they were home-free, Appa let out a terrible moan. His front left leg was on fire, which led his middle left leg to catch fire as well.

Katara tried putting the fires out, but she didn't have enough water in the saddle. She directed Appa closer to the ocean, but the firebenders still pummeled them from the beach. Appa was getting slower by the second, and Katara was growing more desperate. Just as Appa began to rise higher above the water, Katara managed to extinguish the flames. But Appa was still badly burned.

"Come on Appa! I'll let you stop soon, but please, just get us away from here!" Katara begged him.

Appa responded by soaring higher and faster, until they were high above the clouds and out of sight.

**Oh noez what's going to happen to Zuzu? :o**

**Hehe thanks for reading, any reviews/comments/flames are accepted. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay I seriously thought I posted this already…please forgive me for being so late with this…I've um, been ranting ;)**

_Chapter Five Secrets and Lies_

"Stay here Appa. I'm going to go find some medicine," Katara whispered.

She petted the snoozing bison softly and began to trudge through the trees.

She had found this island a couple hours after leaving Ember Island; Appa couldn't keep flying with his burned legs, so she decided to let him rest for the night and get back to the western air temple in the morning. She had noticed that much of the island was uninhabited, except for a small village on the south beach. She hoped she would be able to find some ointment or lotion to help soothe Appa's pain in the village.

Katara was still in her Fire Nation clothes, so she hoped that she would just blend in with the other people. This was incredibly dangerous, but she had no other choice. She couldn't just let Appa suffer the whole way back to the temple.

The village was quiet; a few torches lit the dark pathway to the huts on the sandy beaches. Katara was alert, and she had carried a large sack of water- just in case.

She walked up to a dark shack, where a man was sitting on the counter, admiring a wooden figurine.

"Excuse me, sir? Can you tell me where I can find some medicine for burns? My friend got hurt…"

The man pointed to the bay area. "You should try the docks. We just got some new imports this morning, but they're leaving tomorrow. You better hurry."

"Thanks!" Katara ran off towards the docks, trying to stick to the path.

One of the docks was vacant; the other had a small ship tied to the edge. There wasn't anyone out on the deck tonight, so Katara climbed aboard and walked around. She found an open door and peeked inside. There was a lonely woman seated at the lounge, who looked up as Katara was about to knock.

"Can I help you?"

Katara started forward. "Uh, yes. I'm looking for some medicine…my friend got burned."

"Wait right here," the woman motioned for her to take a seat as she left the room. Katara sat quietly as she waited for the mysterious woman to return; shifting her sack of water around- just in case there was trouble.

"The captain said he would look for some in the cargo, but it may be a while before he finds it. Would you care for some tea while you wait?"

Katara nodded and followed the woman to the corner of the room and sat on a mat. She smiled graciously as the woman handed her a cup of hot tea.

They sat silently for several minutes, quietly sipping the tea.

"You don't look like you're from around here," the woman commented, smiling as she watched Katara's blue eyes widen in panic. "It's okay. You're not the only one."

Katara breathed a sigh of relief.

"You should be careful, though. You don't want people to know you're from the Water Tribe in some parts of the Fire Nation…"

Katara gasped. How did this woman know she was from the water tribe?

She pointed to Katara's neck; she had forgotten to take off her mother's necklace and replace it with her Fire Nation one. And Zuko never once mentioned it to her…

"So, do you work on this ship?" Katara asked, trying to avoid the uncomfortable silence.

"Oh, well…yes. But I'm only working with them on their routes until I can earn enough to make it back to Ba Sing Se...away from the Fire Nation."

Katara looked at her oddly. "When did you leave Ba Sing Se?"

"Well, it must have been at least three years ago…"

"…so you came to the Fire Nation? Why?" Katara bit her lip, feeling guilty for asking such personal questions, but she couldn't help herself. This woman was very intriguing…

The woman didn't seem offended at all. "I had some…_business_ here. But now I need to get back to Ba Sing Se."

Katara looked out the window, where a Fire Nation flag flew over the docks. "You are aware Ba Sing Se is under Fire Nation rule now…right?"

The woman looked genuinely surprised. "Really?"

Katara nodded. "The Firelord's daughter herself took over the city."

The woman's eyes widened, but she remained silent.

They sat mutely for a while, until the woman broke through the silence.

"If you don't mind me asking, where are your parents?"

Katara looked away. "Oh, well…my mom died…in a raid..."

She couldn't really believe that she told a stranger what happened to her mom. But the woman seemed so kind; so _understanding_…she reminded Katara of her own mom. When she was alive, that isâ€¦

"A Fire Nation raid?"

Katara nodded slowly, trying to read the woman's expression.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she wiped away a stray tear. "I understand. The Fire Nation separated me from my son."

Katara felt very sorry for the woman. No wonder she seemed so lonely on this ship.

"That's terrible," Katara managed to say.

"But I've heard that the Avatar has returned," she looked into the fire with a look of fierce determination. "Maybe there's still hope."

Katara found her mind wandering to Aang. Was he okay? Or was he still deathly ill? She needed to get these flowers to him fast; or there would be no hope for anyone anymore…no. Katara couldn't think like that. Aang would be fine…

"There _is _hope," Katara promised. "At least I still have my father. Does your son still have his father, at least?"

The woman's eyes widened and she looked away. "Yes…his father…" she mumbled.

Katara didn't know what to say. Sure, the woman missed her son, but if he had his father, then at least he was okay, right?

"I just hope he's okay and…still alive"

She paused and looked at Katara. "I'm sorry, I just…"

Katara stopped her. "It's okay. You obviously love your son very much."

The woman smiled sadly. "Yes. We were very close. I can't imagine how he's doing…he was a very confused boy…"

Katara didn't understand what she had meant by confused.

"Here it is," a man came up front behind them and placed the medicine on the table. The woman immediately stopped talking about her son and the serious expression returned to her face. As the man began to leave, the woman stood up.

"That'll be eight copper pieces, Miss," she said, trying to sound as demanding as she could.

Katara began getting the coins out of her bag, but the woman stopped her as soon as the man left the room.

"No, it's yours. Free."

Katara looked up. "No, I must pay for this…"

The woman shook her head. "Please. Take it. Thank you for your company and kind words."

She handed the bottle to Katara. She took it and thanked the woman.

Just before Katara walked out the door, she turned and faced the woman.

"I really hope you find your son."

The woman nodded solemnly, and Katara waved goodbye.

**xXxXxXx**

"It's okay, Appa. This will make you feel better," Katara crooned as she applied the medicine to his legs.

She wanted him to be ready to fly tomorrow; she needed to get to the western air temple as soon as possible with the Sapphire lilies.

After a while, Katara decided it was time to get some rest. She missed her friends, but she would see them soon. She had had a long day; escaping from all those fire nation soldiers and trying to heal Appa. At least she could finally get some sleep.

**Hehe I loved writing this chapter…it was actually posted on ASN back on February 27, so it's funny to go back and read the stuff I wrote before TBR even aired. Thanks for reading! (I'll be better with my updates next time)**


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